Holding device for cargo

ABSTRACT

A holding device for cargo in the trunk or storage compartment of passenger cars. The holding device includes a base part that can be selectively positioned and retained in a tie-down rail mounted in the storage compartment. Securing means in the form of a pivotable flap is provided which is spring-biased such that stored cargo can be pressed by the flap against a side wall of the trunk or the rear back seat and cannot be slung back or forth due to forces occurring during driving.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to devices for holding cargo in the trunk or storage space of motor vehicles, and more particularly, to a hold-down device for relatively small cargo items.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In current car-body shapes, design engineers take great care in creating a trunk or storage compartment that is bounded by essentially smooth walls. This shape is advantageous when the goal is to accommodate large cargo, such as luggage, in the trunk.

In contrast, if small cargo is to be stowed, pockets and niches that used to be available now are missing. There are no spaces in which such cargo can be stored without slipping due to forces resulting from curves, braking, and accelerating during normal driving.

OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention is to provide a holding device for cargo in a motor vehicle trunk, especially for small cargo, in order to prevent such cargo from being flung around the trunk due to the dynamic forces during driving.

The novel holding device is designed to utilize an existing feature of trunk or luggage compartments that include tie-down rails, which are normally used to tie down larger cargo so that it does not slip with the help of adjustable loops. The novel holding device has a base part with a supporting surface designed for mounting on such holding rails. A profiled piece, whose cross section is adapted to the cross section of the tie-down rail, projects from the supporting surface of the base part. Today, trunks in modern vehicles typically have T-grooves, wherein the profiled piece accordingly has a T or mushroom shape viewed in cross section. A holding part that carries a contact surface for the cargo is fixed to this base part.

In a simple way, with the help of the contact surface it is possible to clamp the cargo to be held tightly between the holding device and a wall of the trunk or storage compartment. Walls suitable for this purpose are the side wall or the boundary wall that separates the storage compartment or trunk from the passenger compartment or the back of the rear seat in station wagons.

The holding device need merely be designed to prevent cargo from breaking free in the storage compartment or trunk from forces incurred in sharp braking of the vehicle. The holding device need not be dimensioned to guarantee that the cargo remains anchored even in the event of a crash. For securing bags in the case of a crash, there typically still exists a separating screen or safety net.

In the case of a tie-down rail with a receptacle groove, the cross section of the groove includes an approximately rectangular groove chamber and a groove slot of rectangular cross section. Favorable floor or wall relationships result when the tie-down rail is essentially smooth adjacent the groove slot. This also allows the use of a base part with a smooth supporting surface, whereby good static-friction relationships are produced. It is well-known that the static-friction force, in contrast to the sliding-friction force, is approximately proportional to the size of the contact surface. If large static-friction forces can be achieved, a special locking device is not needed for the base part. It is kept at the relevant location of the tie-down rail by the static-friction and the reaction forces produced by pressing the cargo against the corresponding luggage or storage compartment wall.

Holding the base part only by the reaction force occurring during stowing, together with the static friction of the base part on the top side of the rail or by a force fit groove slot, has the advantage of simplicity in both design and useage. Nothing need be unlocked in order to enable adjustment of the base part along the tie-down rail. Nevertheless, an additional locking device could be used. Such locking device can have a positive or frictional engaging effect for affecting additional holding force.

Both for the positively engaged locking and also for the frictionally engaged locking, it is advantageous if the profiled piece on the supporting surface of the base part is divided into two sections, between which a moving latch element is inserted. This moving latch element can generate the additional frictional force or can engage positively in teeth next to the groove slot as a latch tab.

As a holding part that interacts with the cargo or baggage to be secured, several embodiments may be utilized. In the simplest case, the holding part is merely a leaf spring, which is connected to the base part such that the neutral axis of the leaf spring runs parallel to the longitudinal extent of the guide rail while in use. Thus, flat cargo can be held in tightly pressed relation against the side wall of the storage compartment or trunk if the tie-down rails ran longitudinally.

Another alternative is to use a leaf spring whose neutral axis lies at a right angle to the axis of the tie-down rail. This leaf spring would be capable of holding a piece of baggage in tightly pressed relation against the front wall of the trunk for longitudinally running tie-down rails.

The handling of such a leaf spring is especially convenient if it can pivot about an axis running parallel to the longitudinal axis of the tie-down rail. The reaction force exerted by the leaf spring is transmitted to the tie-down rail, with the base part tilting in the groove slot or in the grooves. In this way, for corresponding dimensioning of the tilt angle and corresponding selection of the coefficient of friction, self-locking is simultaneously achieved, which makes the use of additional locking elements unnecessary.

Another alternative for the holding part consists of a pivoting flap connected to the base part via a hinge. The axis of the hinge advantageously lies parallel to the longitudinal extent of the rail and can be used in the same way as the previously mentioned leaf spring in order to hold the cargo tightly pressed against the side wall of the trunk.

With a hinge axis alternatively lying perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the rail, the corresponding tilting in the groove slot also insures that the base part automatically locks due to a clamping effect. The alignment of the hinge axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the rail is somewhat more tolerant of errors, because the holding forces in each case are received with a positive fit and cannot contribute in any case to the base part sliding away.

If the cargo is pressed with sufficient force against the side wall of the trunk, a resulting frictional force in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle is created that is sufficient for holding the cargo tightly and securely in place even in case of full braking of the vehicle. Hence, a frictional force in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle is generated that is always sufficient for holding the cargo securely.

A particularly favorable construction of a flap also can be achieved when it is formed from a wire-like frame, on which a net, canvas cover, or a pocket is mounted.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon reading the following detailed description and upon reference to the drawings, in which:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a broken-away, perspective of the rear part of a passenger car showing a cargo hold-down device in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged vertical section of the base part of the illustrated hold-down device;

FIG. 3 is a top view of the base part;

FIG. 4 is a perspective of an alternative embodiment with a holding device that utilizes a leaf spring;

FIG. 5 is a perspective of a holding device having a pivotal leaf spring; and

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective of a holding device base part having a positive locking device.

While the invention is susceptible of various modifications and alternative constructions, certain illustrative embodiments thereof have been shown in the drawings and will be described below in detail. It should be understood, however, that there is no intention to limit the invention to the specific forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents falling within the spirit and scope of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, there is shown a passenger car having a cargo or trunk 1 with a cargo holding device in accordance with the invention. The trunk 1 includes a trunk floor 2, which is bounded on the sides by side walls 3. The side walls 3 of the trunk extend upwardly to a bottom edges 4 of a rear side windows 5, only one of which is shown, which each extends to a respective D-column 6 in the longitudinal direction. Toward the front, the trunk 1 is bounded by a rear wall 7 of a rear-seat back 8 which has headrests 9.

Toward the vehicle rear, the trunk 1 is bounded by a storage space opening 11, which is bounded on the sides by the D-columns 6 and a bottom edge 12 of the storage space. The rear edge of the roof, which is not visible due to the broken-away view, forms the top border. The floor 2 extends from the cargo flange edge 12, in which a locking piece 13 is inserted up to the rear wall 7 in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and in the transverse direction between the side walls 3 of the trunk.

Two parallel tie-down rails 14, running directly adjacent the side walls 3 of the trunk, are countersunk in the cargo floor 2. The tie-down rails 14 each have a channel shaped cross sectional profile, as depicted in FIG. 2.

In accordance with the invention, a holding device 15 is provided that is selectively mountable on one of the tie-down rails for securing small cargo items to be stowed, such as, for example, a shopping bag 16 as illustrated. The illustrated holding device 15 includes base part 17, which runs in the tie-down rail 14, and a flap 18 pivotably hinged in the base part 17. The flap 18 in this case includes a frame 19 on which a net 21 is mounted. The frame 19 is formed from an appropriately bent, cylindrical wire of sufficient cross section to have the necessary strength.

The tie-down rail 14, as depicted in FIG. 2, comprises two C-shaped profiled rails 22, 23 inserted one into the other. The outer profiled rail 22 preferably is made of an anodized aluminum material in order to form a corrosion-resistant and wear-resistant exterior, while the inner profiled rail 23 is a steel profile for strength reasons.

The outer profiled rail 22 forms supporting surfaces 24 running flush with the top side of the floor 2 on both sides of a groove slot 25. As can be seen, the groove slot 25 opens into a groove chamber 26 that has a rectangular cross section. Both the groove slot 25 and the groove chamber 26 run over the length of the guide rail 14. As shown in FIG. 1, the groove slot is widened at 27 only in the vicinity of the cargo flange edge 12 in order to be able to insert the base part 17 of the holding device 15.

The inner profiled rail 23 is provided with teeth 28 on both sides of the groove slot 25. The teeth 28 produce teeth gaps, which have equidistant spacing and with which it is possible to lock the base part 17 having corresponding shaping. A base part that is suitable for this purpose is described below in detail.

Together with the groove chamber 26 and slot 25 forms a T-groove 29 that extends over the entire length of the tie-down rail 14 with a constant cross section, except in the widened area 27. Because of the shape of the T-groove, it forms an undercut groove.

The base part 17 has an essentially parallelepiped-shaped base body 31, which is bounded on the bottom by an essentially flat supporting surface 32, a top side 33 running at an angle to the supporting surface, and also a total of four paired narrow sides 34, 35, and 36. The narrow side parallel to the narrow side 35 cannot be seen in the representation of FIG. 2, because it lies behind the plane of the drawing.

In the area of the inner corner where the top side 33 comes together with the narrow side 34, there is a passage bore 37, which forms a bearing eye, through which a corresponding section of the frame 19 is supported. Together with the passage bore 37, this area of the frame 19 forms a hinge 38, whose hinge axis runs parallel to the longitudinal length of the tie-down rail 14 as can be seen.

For holding the base part 17 in the T-groove 29, a profiled piece 39 is provided on the supporting surface 32. The profiled piece 39 runs parallel to the bore 37 approximately in the middle over the supporting surface 32 from the narrow side 35 to the opposite narrow side, which is approximately parallel to the narrow side 35. It comprises a flange 41 and a connecting bar 42. The cross section of the flange 41 is designed so that it fits in the groove chamber 26, but cannot escape outward through the groove slot 25. In contrast, the connecting bar 42, which connects the flange 41 to the supporting surface 32, is guided through the groove slot 25.

For pressing the flap 18 against the side wall 3, there is a flat spiral spring 43, as depicted in FIG. 3. The flat spiral spring 43 surrounds the cylindrical section of the frame 19 coaxially in the area of a pocket 44, which is provided in the base body 31 in the area of the passage bore. The pocket 44 passes through both a part of the top side 33 and also a part of the narrow side 34, as can be seen in FIG. 3. The pocket 44 is located approximately in the center between the two narrow sides 35. One end of the flat spiral spring 43 is connected at 45 to the frame 19, while the other end of the flat spiral spring 43 is fixed in the pocket 44 at a position that cannot be seen in FIG. 3.

The function and handling of the holding device 15 described so far is as follows:

The holding device 15 is inserted into the storage compartment or trunk 1 by first inserting part 17 with the profiled piece 39 at the opening 27 in the tie-down rail 14. Then the holding device 15 is pushed with the base part 17 along the tie-down rail 14 to the desired position in front of the side wall 3. For this purpose, the flap 18 is held at a distance from the wall 3 against the effect of the spring 43.

By pivoting the flap 18 outwardly, the shopping bag 16 can be set in the V-shaped gap that is opened up between the flap 18 and sidewall 3. After releasing the flap 18, the flap 18 is pressed by the action of the flat spiral spring 43 against the shopping bag 16, which is then held in contact with the side wall 3.

The frictional engagement between the net 21 and the bag 16 on one hand and between the bag 16 and the side wall 3 on the other is sufficient to prevent the holding device 15 and the bag 16 from being set in motion in the longitudinal direction of the tie-down rail 14 during braking or accelerating of the vehicle. The flat spiral spring 43 further is sufficiently dimensioned so that a reasonably loaded bag 16 (ca. 3 kg heavy) does not pivot the flap 18 to the side under the typical acceleration about a curve.

Another anchoring force for the base part 17 is produced by the frictional engagement between the supporting surface 32 and the supporting surface 24 on the tie-down rail 14, and also the interacting surfaces of the flange 41 with the corresponding surface of the inner profile rail 23. These surfaces are selected to be sufficiently large that the static friction therebetween secures the base part 17 from slipping along the tie-down rail 14.

Another embodiment of the holding device 15 is illustrated, in FIG. 4. In this embodiment, the base part 17 has a rather precise parallelepiped-shaped form, again with a top side 33, a bottom side pointing away from the viewer, two narrow sides 35, and also opposite narrow sides 36 only one of which can be seen. In contrast to the embodiment according to FIG. 2, however, the longitudinal axis of the parallelepiped-shaped structure lies perpendicular to the tie-down rail 14. The tie-down rail 14 has the form as described previously in connection with FIG. 2, and the base part 17 is provided on its bottom support side with a similar structure to that previously explained. There is a difference, however, insofar as the profiled piece of the base part, such as the profiled piece 39, is now arranged eccentrically. Relative to the tie-down rail 14, the base part 17 points away from the side wall 3 of the trunk. The narrow side 36 thus has a greater distance from the tie-down rail 14 than the opposite narrow side, which is turned toward the side wall 3 of the trunk. A leaf spring 46, which in this case has a tongue-like shape and which projects upwardly, emerges from the top side 33. A bag can be clamped between this tongue-shaped leaf spring 46 and the side wall 3, as explained previously.

While the neutral axis of the leaf spring 46 lies parallel to the longitudinal length of the guide rail 14 in FIG. 4, FIG. 5 shows an embodiment in which the neutral axis is aligned perpendicular to the longitudinal extent of the guide rail 14. In the embodiment of FIG. 5, the base part 17 carries two brackets 47, which project upward and between which the leaf spring 46 is appropriately supported on an axle bolt that cannot be seen. The axle bolt lies parallel to the longitudinal length of the guide rail 17, the spring tongue 46 being pivotable about an axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle according to an arrow 47. Thus it can be brought from a position in which it points vertically upward into a pivoted position in which it lies nearly parallel to the cargo floor 2.

FIG. 5 illustrates the function of the holding device in connection with a small hand bag 48. The hand bag 48 in this case is pushed against the back side 7 of the rear seat adjacent the side wall 3. Then the holding device 15 is inserted, as described, into the tie-down rail 14 and pushed in the direction of the straight arrow toward the back side 7 of the rear-seat back 8 until it stands in the vicinity of the adjacent side wall of the hand bag 48. Then the leaf spring 46 is folded down according to the curved arrow until it contacts the bag 48 and presses the bag against the back side 7 of the rear seat. The resulting reaction force tilts the base part 17 in the tie-down rail 14 and produces self-locking, but only after the base part 17 has been brought the correct distance from the bag. The holding effect of the spring tongue 46 can be improved if it is provided with a friction-increasing coating 49 in the area with which it contacts the luggage 48.

FIG. 6 shows a construction of a base part 17 that allows positive-fit locking in the teeth gaps 28 of the inner profiled rail 23. The base part 17, which has a construction according to the embodiments of FIGS. 1-4, is provided with a gap 50 in the area of the profiled piece 39. The gap 50 is located approximately in the middle relative to the longitudinal length of the profiled piece 39. In the gap 50, there is a stepped bore that passes through the basic body 31 and that cannot be seen in the drawing. A latch element 51 is guided perpendicular to the supporting surface 32 in this stepped bore.

The latch element 51 comprises a rectangular shaped latch body 52 and a cylindrical shaft 53. The latch body 52 has a width corresponding to the gap 49 and a thickness corresponding to the thickness of the flange 41. The shaft 53 is stepped with the part with a greater diameter being adjacent the latch body 52. The section with the smaller diameter projects further through the base body bore and is surrounded by a helical compression spring 54 in the vicinity of the top side 33 that is not visible. Finally, on the free end of the shaft 53 there is an activation plate 55, which lies in a corresponding pocket-shaped recess in the top side 33. By means of a continuous countersunk screw 56 guided through a bore 57, the latch element 51 is screwed to the plate 55. The bore 57 extends coaxially through the shaft 53 and the latch body 52. The shoulder in the profile of the shaft 53 is intended to prevent the rectangular-shaped latch body 52 from being moved up to direct contact on the supporting surface 32 by the spring 54 if the base part 17 is removed.

The handling of the base part 17 according to FIG. 6 is as follows: the base part 17 is inserted into the expanded opening 27 of the tie-down rail 14 as previously explained. Without activating the actuation plate 55, the gap between the latch body 52 and the supporting surface 32 becomes smaller than that corresponding to the total thickness of the tie-down rail 14 in the area next to the groove slot 25. Only by pressing down the actuation plate 55 against the effect of the spring 54 is the latch element 51 with the latch body 52 pressed so far that the gap between the supporting surface 32 and the latch body 52 becomes larger than that corresponding to the thickness of the tie-down rail 14 in the surroundings of the groove slot 25. Here, the thickness is measured over the thickness of the outer profiled rail 22 including the inner profiled rail 23 carrying the teeth.

As soon as the base part 17 is pushed into the desired position along the tie-down rail 14, the actuation plate 55 is released. Slight displacement of the base part 17 along the tie-down rail 14 brings the base part 17 into a position in which the latch body 52 is flush with a tooth gap 28. The compression spring 54 can now pull the latch body 52 upward in the direction toward the supporting surface 32, which allows the latch body 52 to engage in the teeth 28. Thus, the base part is fixed with a positive fit along the guide rail 14. It is understood that the tooth gap 28 is appropriately shaped to allow engagement of the latch body 52 with sufficiently small play, but one that is large enough for its function.

Because flat teeth are adequate, it is sufficient if the latch body 52, measured in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal length of the profiled body 39, is somewhat smaller than the width of the flange 41. It is sufficient if the latch body 52 projects slightly past the connecting bar 42. The described base part 17 with positive-fit locking can be used with any of the described types of holding means in the form of flaps or leaf springs.

From the foregoing, it can be seen that a holding device for cargo in trunks or storage spaces of passenger cars is provided that includes a base part, which is movably retained in a tie-down rail. A securing means in the form of a pivoting flap or a spiral spring is fixed to the base part. With the help of the spring-biased flap or the spiral spring, cargo to be stowed can press against a side wall of the trunk or the back side of the rear-seat, so that it cannot be flung back and forth due to forces occurring during driving. 

1. A holding device (15) for cargo (16) in a trunk or storage space (1) of a motor vehicle comprising: at least one tie-down rail (14) fixed in the trunk or storage space of the vehicle having an anchoring area (29), a base part (17) having a supporting surface (32), a profiled piece (39) projecting from the supporting surface (32) having a cross section that is complementary to the cross section of the anchoring area (29) of the tie-down rail (14), and a holding part (18, 46) mounted on the base part (17) and having a contact surface for contacting and retaining cargo (16) in the trunk or storage space.
 2. The holding device of claim 1 in which said tie-down rail anchoring area (29) is a receptacle groove having a groove chamber (26) and a groove slot (25) leading to the chamber (26).
 3. The holding device of claim 2 in which said groove chamber (26) has a rectangular cross section.
 4. The holding device of claim 1 in which said tie-down rail (14) has a smooth surfaced outer side adjacent to the groove slot (25).
 5. The holding device of claim 1 in which said supporting surface (32) of the base part (17) is smooth surfaced.
 6. The holding device of claim 1 in which said base part (17) has a locking device (32, 41; 28, 51) for locking the base part (17) at a desired longitudinal position on the tie-down rail.
 7. The holding device of claim 6 in which said locking device (32, 41) frictionally holds the base part in a locked position.
 8. The holding device of claim 6 in which said locking device (32, 41; 28, 51) includes a releasable clamping device.
 9. The holding device of claim 6 in which the locking device (32, 41; 28, 51) is positively engageable with said tie down rail for locking the base part in a desired position.
 10. The holding device of claim 1 in which the locking device (32, 41; 28, 51) includes a selectively releasable latch device for locking the base part.
 11. The holding device of claim 1 in which in a direction parallel to the longitudinal length of the tie-down rail (14), the profiled piece (39) has a greater dimension than in a direction perpendicular thereto.
 12. The holding device of claim 11 in which said profiled piece (39) comprises two longitudinally separated enlarged projecting heads (41) which each have a connecting bar (42), and each said connecting bar (41) is dimensioned such that it fits through a guide slot (25) of the tie-down rail (14).
 13. The holding device of claim 12 including a locking element (51) between said projecting heads which is movably supported on the base part (17) for locking the base part at a desired location on the tie-down rail.
 14. The holding device of claim 13, including a biasing element for biasing said locking element (51) toward a locking position.
 15. The holding device of claim 1 in which said holding part (18, 46) is formed by a leaf spring (46) connected to said base part (17).
 16. The holding device of claim 1 in which said holding part (18, 46) is connected to said base part by means of a hinge (19, 37; 47).
 17. The holding device of claim 16 in which said hinge (19, 37; 47) has an axis that extends parallel to the longitudinal axis of the tie-down rail (14).
 18. The holding device of claim 16 in which said hinge (19, 37; 47) has an axis that extends perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the tie-down rail (14).
 19. The holding device of claim 16, including a spring (43) for biasing the holding part 18 in a pivoted position relative to an axis of said hinge.
 20. The holding device of claim 19 in which said spring (43) is a flat spiral spring.
 21. The holding device of claim 1 in which said holding part (18) has a flap-like construction.
 22. The holding device of claim 1 in which said holding part (18) has a frame (19) on which a net (21) is mounted.
 23. The holding device of claim 16 in which said holding part has a frame (19), a section of which forms an axis of the hinge (19, 37; 47). 